The present invention relates to disposable sensor devices for patient monitoring such as an arterial blood pressure sensor device, a pulse contour cardiac output device and the like. The present invention is further related to monitoring systems for such disposable sensor devices.
In patient monitoring there are situations wherein multiple monitoring devices are needed which are dealing with the same parameter. For example, there may be some need to receive the respective signal by a bedside monitor and by a portable device in parallel wherein both should be able to read the parameter of interest. So far, each monitoring device, e.g. the bedside monitoring device and the portable measurement device, uses a separate sensor device. The multiple sensor devices may be closely spaced to detect the same or at least similar results, as e.g. described in US 2006/0009699.
Mostly, the sensor device needs some kind of excitation voltage, i.e. a supply DC or AC voltage. Then, the sensor device delivers a detector signal which depends on the excitation voltage and the parameter which is to be analyzed in the monitoring system.
To provide two sensor devices of the same kind for being read out by two different monitoring devices leads to a bulky shape on the sensor's side. Furthermore, the increased space volume may cause a worse frequency response in case an AC excitation voltage is used. Even if the two sensor devices are closely spaced they are not located at the same heart level such that in case of pressure sensor devices different arterial pressure values would be obtained.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a disposable sensor device and a monitoring system which allows to monitor a measured parameter of patient by two or more monitoring devices thereby avoiding the drawbacks of the prior art.
This object has been achieved by the disposable sensor devices according to claims 1 and 7 and the monitoring systems according to further independent claims.
Further embodiments of the present invention are indicated in the depending subclaims.